What do you mean Survive vs Thrive?
A ‘personal observation’ about choosing to survive vs thrive:
I use the word thrive, a lot!
Heck, my women’s membership is called 365 Thrive.
But when someone said I hope you are thriving to me, here was the response in my head.
Yes, I am, thanks.
More thriving and not just surviving.
This thought is a revelation to me because I have done considerable work to find that space. Because thriving is a choice, and surviving is too. It is entirely up to you which one you want to be.
Thriving is a choice, and surviving is too
There comes a time in your life, or maybe several times, when life sits on you too heavily. Shaking off the mindset you needed to adopt to ‘survive’ can get lost or forgotten because you get so used to being in that survivor mode. It can hang around a little too long. Sometimes years! Survive vs Thrive.
Calling yourself out and creating the opportunity to swing that old thinking pattern around is worth the effort.
Ultimately, it comes down to choosing whether you are willing to put it down and step into a new fabulous, opportunity-filled space, or will you keep it wrapped around you like a cashmere, cosy, warm, safe but restrictive comfort blanket?
You see, ALL the life you want is in the work you don’t want to do, whether physically or mentally.
Digging in for a mental round with yourself will always pay dividends. You might get professional help or additional self-help in the form of reading, podcasts or whatever appeals to you. But be open to the change and the new you trying so hard to emerge.
For me, in my life, a survival state of mind was pushing my instincts and abilities and taking me on a slow dive to the bottom. I would have been better off letting it have its way with me and coming out of it quicker instead of my natural self trying to bubble back to the top.
I didn’t understand that I was fighting a losing battle because I hadn’t done some inner work that needed doing. That extended into years – I was knee-deep in motherhood, with hardly an ounce of time to think as a single mother – until today, when I can see it all.
Why can I see it all now? Here is the rub: I created space for myself—lots of it. My children went to Uni, I moved, and I made a clean slate of the time I was in to gain the space which gifted me the clarity. Bingo!
Now look. You don’t need to move and be so drastic, but gifting yourself space and allowing yourself to be in it rather than fill it with mind-occupying trivia will show you the route to a peaceful, more insightful new you.
It’s the whole reason I wrote 365 Days of Brighter Thinking – to give people a piece of space each day to think about the message, to answer the question that may have been asked in their own time, to explore the thought and how that may affect them. It’s a service to uplift and carry you on through your day in a brighter space.
In conclusion to my ‘personal observation’ – life is more straightforward and flows better when you do the work. It’s a daily effort, not just now and then. Keeping my mental well-being on the right path is everything. Being with people and environments that enable me to thrive and not just survive is a choice I make every day. I hope that for you too.
To anyone reading this – Hi! I hope you are thriving.
Deborah Fielding x
